UNITED NATIONS, New York – US President Donald Trump has proposed replacing the term “artificial intelligence” with “super intelligence” in US government documents, while rejecting calls for greater international oversight of the rapidly developing technology.
Trump made the remarks on Tuesday during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he argued that the word “artificial” undersold the capabilities of modern AI.
“It sounds much better. It is much better, and it’s much more accurate,” Trump said.
Trump said US documents would use the new terminology and expressed hope that other countries would adopt it as well.
Trump rejects global AI controls
Trump also opposed efforts to establish international controls over AI development, describing proposals for global oversight as a “globalist scheme”.
“The United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control … artificial intelligence,” he said.
He argued that the US should maintain its lead in the technology rather than accept restrictions that could slow its development.
Trump also dismissed warnings about catastrophic AI risks, comparing them with earlier warnings about climate change and arguing that concerns over AI could be exaggerated.
‘Superintelligence’ has a different technical meaning
Trump’s proposed terminology differs from the way superintelligence is generally used in the technology field.
The term usually refers to a hypothetical form of artificial intelligence that would surpass humans across broad areas of cognitive ability. The United Nations has previously distinguished existing AI systems from artificial general intelligence and artificial superintelligence, with the latter remaining theoretical.
Trump’s use of “super intelligence” therefore represents a political and rhetorical rebranding rather than an established technical reclassification of all AI systems.
World leaders debate AI safeguards
Trump’s comments came as other governments and international organisations push for greater cooperation on AI safety.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for governments with the greatest AI capabilities to establish channels for dialogue, transparency, trust and cooperation.
He compared the need for AI cooperation with efforts by the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War to manage shared strategic risks.
The UN is also hosting discussions on AI and international security during the General Assembly week, reflecting growing concerns about increasingly autonomous systems and their potential impact.
US and China race for AI dominance
The debate comes as the United States and China compete for technological leadership in advanced AI.
Both countries are developing increasingly capable systems while disagreeing over how much international coordination or regulation should be imposed.
The two governments are also discussing a communication channel focused on AI risks ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
OpenAI has separately called for the US to take a leading role in developing international technical standards for advanced AI, including common approaches to safety and incident reporting.
AI safety concerns grow
Trump’s remarks come amid increasing concern among researchers and technology companies about the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.
The UN says a scientific assessment presented during its high-level week has warned that safeguards may not be keeping pace with increasingly autonomous AI agents.
